some wolfenstein 3d questions

[Asa]

I haven't been able to get any info on this at all, so I'm hoping someone here can answer this.

Cheats:
The Alpha version has the cheat codes, but doesn't use a command line parameter to invoke them. You just use F10+key to use them. Beginning with Shareware 1.1, the use of -goobers (and lshift-alt-backspace) is used to invoke them. What about Shareware 1.0?

Edit: I answered this one myself. I found in a document I have that the cheats in 1.0 are invoked using the -next parameter, and TAB-CTRL-ENTER to invoke. Overhead map view is there, but has more issues than 1.0 Alpha has. I will be creating a list of all cheats within 1.0.

I have them all, including the no cheats 1.4, 1.4 with cheats (before removing it), and 1.4 with cheats (after putting it back). The 1.0 Shareware version does not seem to have the cheat codes.

My questions are:
1. Did 1.0 shareware ever have them?
2. If so, is there a copy of it somewhere?

A few notes on this:
1.0 Alpha has cheats using F10 instead of TAB, and no parameter, and also has the O cheat (yes, the overhead map view works, although with some display issues)
1.0 Shareware has no cheats (that I can find)
In all other versions the overhead map view does not work
1.1 Shareware has cheats (-goobers)
1.2 Shareware has cheats (-goobers)
1.4 Shareware (does, and does not) (-goobers, -<7 spaces>)

Registered versions:
I am trying to find out if the following versions ever existed:

1.0 3-episode (I've heard this version started with 1.1)
1.0 6-episode (I've heard this version started with 1.1, mine is 1.4g)
1.0-1.2 Spear of Destiny (Mine is 1.4, and I've never seen another version)

Demo versions:
1.1-1.4 (Mine is 1.0)

Any help on these things is appreciated, and if anyone knows where I can get a copy of any other shareware versions (like 1.0 with cheats) I'd appreciate a link.

[Litude]

I guess that just leaves the question of the versions unanswered?

Both the six and the three episode versions of the game had their initial release as version 1.1 (which is in fact a later build than the shareware 1.1, having some of the changes that didn't occur in the shareware version before 1.2). According to an old issue of Game Bytes, the registered version of Wolfenstein 3D was released on 06/14/92, which contradicts what the release history page here states. But seeing as we're talking about a shareware distributor and the modify dates of the game files are 06/10/92, the date provided by Game Bytes seems more feasible.

For Spear of Destiny, versions 1.0 and 1.4 were the only ones released (plus a demo).

As for Wolfenstein 3D shareware versions, I know the following exist:
Shareware 1.0 (Released 05/05/92)
Shareware 1.1 (Released 06/01/92)
Shareware 1.2 (Released 06/29/92)
Shareware 1.4 (Released 11/01/92, initial 1.4 release)
Shareware 1.4 (Released 12/15/92, slightly updated 1.4 release)
Shareware 1.4 (Released 08/03/93, the version with cheat codes disabled)
Shareware 1.4g (No idea when this was released, earliest I've found was from 07/24/98 but it seems a bit late)

[Asa]

Originally Posted by Litude

I guess that just leaves the question of the versions unanswered?

Both the six and the three episode versions of the game had their initial release as version 1.1 (which is in fact a later build than the shareware 1.1, having some of the changes that didn't occur in the shareware version before 1.2). According to an old issue of Game Bytes, the registered version of Wolfenstein 3D was released on 06/14/92, which contradicts what the release history page here states. But seeing as we're talking about a shareware distributor and the modify dates of the game files are 06/10/92, the date provided by Game Bytes seems more feasible.

For Spear of Destiny, versions 1.0 and 1.4 were the only ones released (plus a demo).

Thanks for the quick response. I have created a complete list of the cheat codes by version for all of the shareware versions and the SoD demo version.

The created date on the 1.4g registered 6-episode version I have is Friday, September 03, 1993, 1:25:24 PM. Here is the list based on the files I have:

Shareware 1.0 (Created: Tuesday, May 05, 1992, 1:00:42 PM)
Shareware 1.1 (Created: Monday, June 01, 1992, 1:10:00 PM)
Shareware 1.2 (Created: Monday, June 22, 1992, 1:11:12 PM)
Shareware 1.4o (Created Thursday, December 03, 1992, 11:29:06 AM)
Shareware 1.4ng (Modified: Friday, January 01, 1993, 1:40:00 PM)
[created date does not reflect origin: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 10:45:59 AM]

I count both of the following as G because they are on or after the same date/time as ng.

Shareware 1.4g (Modified: Friday, January 01, 1993, 1:40:00 PM)
[created date does not reflect origin: Wednesday, September 15, 2010, 4:27:44 PM]

Shareware 1.4g (Created: Friday, January 01, 1993, 10:10:00 PM)
SoD Demo 1.0 (Modified: Monday, September 21, 1992, 2:23:34 PM)
[created date does not reflect origin: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 11:25:24 AM]

Registered 6-Episode 1.4g (Created: Friday, September 03, 1993, 1:25:24 PM)
SoD 1.4 (Created: Tuesday, January 05, 1993, 1:40:00 AM)

o = original (pre-no goobers)
ng = no goobers
g = goobers (reinstated)

I don't have these versions:
Shareware 1.2 (Released 06/29/92) - possible mine is this one
Shareware 1.4 (Released 11/01/92, initial 1.4 release)
Shareware 1.4 (Released 12/15/92, slightly updated 1.4 release) - possible my 1.4o is this one

Again, thanks for the info.

Edit: I just realized, I'm not sure if SoD commercial went through the cheats/nocheats/cheats process. Do you know?

Edit: Anyone wanting to see the cheat codes page I made, click here. Select the Original PC drop menu and select Cheats. This is my new site. It isn't much yet, but I'm hoping it will become something special.

[Litude]

Looking at the modify dates of game files for Apogee games to pinpoint a release date is usually not going to give very good results as a quick analysis will lead you to the conclusion that the files dates have been tampered with. How likely is it that all game files were finished within the same minute and just some seconds apart?

I've figured out that Apogee games generally use (for games released in 1992 and later) a certain standard regarding file modify dates. The initial release, v1.0, of a game always carry modify time of 13:00 (or 1:00 PM). A minor update, e.g. v1.01 carries a modify time of 13:01 (or 1:01 PM) and a bigger update (v1.1) a time of 13:10 (1:10 PM). Games that went up to v2.0 have a date of 14:00 (2:00 PM) and so on. Wolfenstein 3D is no exception to this rule.

This is why I'm usually trying to figure out when the file was zipped (ZIP file modify date) or hoping that the installer modify dates have not been changed. 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2 sharewares have the original modify dates of the installer intact, making it easy to pinpoint an accurate date.

The version of Wolfenstein 3D without cheat codes carries a modify date of January 1st, 1993 but the same installer includes catalog files from August 3rd, 1993 so it wasn't released until August.

Your shareware 1.2 is definitely the same as mine, I just took the release date from the installer files/the history page here.

Your later 1.4 shareware is also the same as mine. There are many different distributions of this shareware with different modify dates as id Software themselves also made their own installer packages of their games.

The earlier 1.4 shareware can be downloaded from here. I'm not entirely sure what is different, but the graphics files differ from the ones in the normal 1.4 shareware.

Spear of Destiny always had cheat codes, the "we hate cheats" thingy was something that was going on at Apogee, but had nothing to do with id Software.

[Asa]

I had taken the date problem into consideration, but use it as a base. I have recorded the dates of the installers, but not the zip archives. That is because they have all shown to be the same stamp for both created and modified dates, and they are all recent.

I have a list I created, that will be on my site soon, that details all of the information I have about all of the differing archives I have found, and saved a copy of, and how I am able to relate it to various release dates I hear about.

I already know that it is difficult to know how to tell the differences, and that is part of what I am documenting. I will have every different version, organized by data file differences. There are a few, but I have only 1 "duplicate". That is because it is the same exact version, but in a different form, and without an installer. That is for Shareware 1.1. I have others that share file names, but are different archives of different versions.

I am sure it is possible to have a sample of each actual revision, if you look far enough. Some differences are only in the code. I am about to begin my examination of the differences between versions of the exe files.

I plan to only continue this until I believe that I have located each revision still obtainable. This almost answers all outstanding questions, but I believe I can answer those myself through what I find. Thank you for the additional link.

Edit: The link you provided is definitely a different version. The installer is asking me for a disk. I am not sure how to handle this. Are there some instructions somewhere for handling this issue?

[Asa]

I have the versions list on my site now. Select the Versions item in the drop menu for Original PC.

[Litude]

Right, forgot about that installer not working quite correctly (guess it might work if installed off a disk). If you rename WOLF1.1 to WOLF1.EXE, you should be able to extract the needed files from the installer manually either by running the file or using WinZip/WinRAR.

[Asa]

Thanks. That did the trick. My file specs files are now complete to this point. I'm not sure how many other implementations remain out there, or if they can be found if they do. I believe this is as good a sampling as any. Of course, if anyone finds a version or copy I don't have, I would appreciate it if you would point me to it with a link.

OT: I've been wondering about this for awhile. Does anyone know where a copy, if one still exists, can be found for the so-called Wolf3D 1.3? I remember all the talk about that file, and I know it is the reason there is no 1.3 official version. I would like to find out what was done to the game, to the data files, maybe even find out if it is based on 1.1 or 1.2, or on SoD. I have had no luck finding anything.

[Litude]

I don't have the 1.3 files, haven't been looking for that one either, but I've uploaded the shareware distributions and all patches that were officially released that I have for Wolfenstein 3D here. I use some unofficial namings there. Shareware 1.4 is the initial shareware 1.4 release, 1.4a is the updated release and 1.4b is the version without the goobers cheat. Files that don't have a date specified is what I'm assuming is the original release of that game version.

[Asa]

I remember when the talk of this was a buzz heard throughout the gaming world back then. As much as I heard, I never saw a copy of the so-called v1.3 hack. All I know is, it was enough for Id to skip a revision number.

Yet, a lesser known Alpha hack appears to be easily locatable. I have 2 archives of that version.

But for the life of me, I can't find a copy of the 1.3 hack anywhere, and I wasn't able to find a copy back then either.

Can anyone enlighten me on what the actual story behind the 1.3 hack is? And if it is real, is there a surviving copy anywhere? I would like to add it to my database under the Hacks section, along with the Alpha hacks I have.

[Asa]

I have been going through the Alpha version. There are two copies of it that I possess, each shows dates a decade apart. Each zip archive is unique in

a) the files contained (each has one file the other does not have)
b) the files modified (for the most part just the text files used by the Alpha's version of the Read This! function (which includes the Ordering files), but the VGAGRAPH file has an interesting difference between the Former version and the Later version.
c) the differences in configuration files includes different settings for the sound devices. I removed the CONFIG.WL1 file and allowed the Alpha to make its own configuration file. The settings established by the game in DOSBox were different from both other versions, and similar. There is a section of the configuration settings that was identical in all 3 versions of the config.

There is a 5-byte difference between the WOLF1V.EXE files. That difference is the appendage 'MsDos' at the end of the file for the Later version.

All of the saved game files are absent in the Former version, and the High Scores data in the CONFIG.WL1 files is different between them, and also from the one I let the Alpha create.

The Alpha has issues with the sound that were remedied by the time the Shareware release came along. Each copy seems to try to set things differently in the configuration, but otherwise the games are identical. The difference between the VGAGRAPH.WL1 files is, at this point, an anomaly.

The dates in the Former version are problematic when it comes to being accurate. Those dates may be the dates the files were first copied, but they are not the original dates. Why do I say that? Very simply, the Beta version.

John Romero's site has images of both Alpha version's and the Beta version's title screens. If these dates are to be believed, then the game stayed in Alpha development until about a month before the Shareware release, and Beta lasted only a couple of weeks. This is not how the development cycle operates. The amount of effort put into the creation of the Beta title screen alone suggests that beta testing was intended to last for at least a few months.

Edit: I stand corrected. I read the whole thing this time. John Romero states that the development cycle for Wolfenstein 3-D was "incredibly fast", 6 months total, 5-months until Beta. I think unbelievably fast is more accurate, and I would like to know how many of the "parts" were already developed when the Wolfenstein 3-D project began?

Both copies of the Alpha have been modified. I do not believe that Id software put a plug to a cracker's BBS at the bottom of each of the text files used by the Read This! function. Nor do I believe that they played at least two games (based on the High Scores in the Former version) and used the names Big Hot Mama and Joel Manners. The default list contains the names:

Id Software - '92
<blank entry>
John Carmack
<blank entry>
Adrian Carmack
Tom Hall
John Romero

I am writing a document, titled "The ALPHA File", that documents all of the differences and changes between the two Alpha copies. It also compares the Alpha to the Shareware 1.0 release, and documents the differences between them. It will be available on my site when it is finished:

The Wolfenstein 3-D Mall

Original PC -> Wolfenstein 3-D -> The ALPHA File

I am still interested in knowing the story behind the 1.3 hack. If a copy still exists, I would like a copy of it for my archives. I will give it the same scrutiny I am giving the Alpha.

Because this subject always seems to come with a lack of responses, if you know something, but don't want to say it in a public forum, PM me.

[Dopefish7590]

Well... It's an intriguing study, but there really much to say about it since so little is known.

[Joe Siegler]

Search these forums for a thread named Wolfenstein 3D v1.4g.

I wrote about the numbering stuff a bit, since i had a lot to do with it.

[Asa]

Originally Posted by Joe Siegler

Search these forums for a thread named Wolfenstein 3D v1.4g.

I wrote about the numbering stuff a bit, since i had a lot to do with it.

I have read that thread at least 5 times, trying to see if I overlooked anything. References to 1.3 occur twice, once in a post by Frenkel (v1.3 - Was never released.), and once by PimPamPet (^ There was an unofficial version 1.3 floating around, which is why id skipped that version number and made the jump from 1.2 to 1.4...). )

I was hoping to get more of the real story, like, how Id first became aware of it, where it first showed up (BBS, Information Service, Internet), and what made it so different. I have heard about porn references (nude images and such), but I have never heard the "official" story. I also have never been able to find a copy of it anywhere. I would also like to know if anyone held onto a copy.

Joe, do you think that beta tester who keeps everything might have gotten a copy and held onto it?

[Frenkel]

Have you read this Joe Siegler Apogee Legacy interview?

[Joe Siegler]

Originally Posted by Frenkel

Have you read this Joe Siegler Apogee Legacy interview?

Asa, he has a point. The reason there isn't a 1.3 is largely due to me. There isn't any more detail to give you beyond what's in that story. Really - not every piece of info from the past has reams of info you can find.

You're not going to find it, either I would suspect. The reason is because after id/Apogee issued a statement on it (summer of 92), I never ever saw it again anywhere.

And again, you're basing a lot of your dates and versions on things that exist because I DID THEM. I know what/when these things were built, your lists are not exactly accurate. Also, changing of the installer usually changed the time/date stamps, that does NOT mean a new version, just a new version of the installer. They are NOT the same. You're trying to invent parts of history that didn't exist, dude. As the person who was responsible for that stuff at Apogee/3DR for 16 years, I know what I'm talking about.

Originally Posted by Litude

According to an old issue of Game Bytes, the registered version of Wolfenstein 3D was released on 06/14/92, which contradicts what the release history page here states.

How is that contradictory? My history page doesn't say which version was the first one with a registered version.

[Asa]

Originally Posted by Frenkel

Have you read this Joe Siegler Apogee Legacy interview?

I read this last night. I replied to it, but something was causing a problem with my previewing and posting my response, so I decided to wait until today to respond. I see that Joe has responded, so I am going to answer that post with everything I wanted to say to and ask him.

In answer to this one, yes I have read it, but somehow, re-reading it for about the 5th time, I finally noticed the majority of the paragraph Joe wrote on the 1.3 issue. Now that I have a few of my answers, I can proceed with less question of events, and hopefully, more answers.

---------- Post added at 01:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:36 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Joe Siegler

Asa, he has a point. The reason there isn't a 1.3 is largely due to me. There isn't any more detail to give you beyond what's in that story. Really - not every piece of info from the past has reams of info you can find.

I re-read that interview again last night, just to see if I had missed something before. It seems I did. I missed the majority of the paragraph you devoted to Wolfenstein 3-D. I see you are the one who saw it, reported it to Apogee, who reported it to Id, who decided to not have a v1.3

That is answered. As to there not being anything more, you'd be surprised how much you can remember if the right questions are asked.

Originally Posted by Joe Siegler

You're not going to find it, either I would suspect. The reason is because after id/Apogee issued a statement on it (summer of 92), I never ever saw it again anywhere.

I already know that it is like finding a needle in a mountain of sand. That is not new. What is new is that I finally can ask the source the questions that just might lead me to a copy of it. If you saw it, someone else did too, and they kept it.

Originally Posted by Joe Siegler

And again, you're basing a lot of your dates and versions on things that exist because I DID THEM. I know what/when these things were built, your lists are not exactly accurate. Also, changing of the installer usually changed the time/date stamps, that does NOT mean a new version, just a new version of the installer. They are NOT the same. You're trying to invent parts of history that didn't exist, dude. As the person who was responsible for that stuff at Apogee/3DR for 16 years, I know what I'm talking about.

The dates in my versions list are the dates in the created or modified dates of the different archives I've found, both installer dates (where an installer is included) and the game file dates. I know that I have duplicates. I have them because the archive contents are different. If I find a duplicate where the only thing different is the filename, I don't keep that copy, but make note of the fact that an archive by that name existed when I found it.

My questions are:

1. When you "saw" the game, how did you see it?

a. It was being played, and I just watched them play it.
b. I read about it in a BBS, Information Service, or Internet forum.
c. I saw screen shots that were from the game.
d. I found it in a downloads section of a BBS, Information Service or Internet ftp site.
e. I grabbed a copy and played it.

2. Was it the full game (shareware, or registered), or just data file replacements of the textures, sprites, graphics and/or music?

3. What version of the original game was it based on?

a. 1.0
b. 1.1
c. 1.2

4. In another post, you referred to a beta tester you know that collects everything, and even saved an alpha of the EGA version. Do you think it is possible that he may have collected it?

5. Would you consider asking him/her if they have it, and if they do, would they be willing to part with a copy for my archives?

You have my permission to provide them with my email address. I can PM that to you, if you want to try to find out for me.